While many divers have been affected by nitrogen narcosis with no ill effects, there are some others who have actually lost their lives in accidents influenced by the phenomenon. While we all want to enjoy diving and feel carefree while spending time underwater, it’s vital that we have a realistic, thorough understanding of the problems that can occur while underwater; nitrogen narcosis is one of these problems. Let’s take a closer look.
Don’t be Fooled by Tempting Descriptions
Some of us have heard stories from friends and other divers about the fun that can come with being “narced.” Don’t be fooled; nitrogen narcosis is no laughing matter. Here are some interesting – and tempting – descriptions that might leave you feeling like narcosis is a desirable side effect of diving:
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Rapture of the Deep – This term was coined by none other than Jacques Cousteau, who included a description of a dive to 240 feet in his book, The Silent World. Cousteau’s friend, Frederic Dumas, described the sensation as one of drunkenness, beatitude, and dizziness that evaporated in shallow waters, leaving him angry that he hadn’t met his depth goal.
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Martini Effect – This term describes the drunken way many who experience nitrogen narcosis feel. It’s also a good way to calculate narcosis: for every 50 fsw, a diver will feel like he or she has had a stiff martini. One isn’t so bad, two is pushing it, and three is too much.
While this might not sound so bad, particularly if you like to have a drink or two, keep in mind that you would never dive after drinking, as your judgment is adversely affected by alcohol. This is one reason why many divers never stray beyond 100 feet, and it’s also one of the reasons why recreational divers are advised to stick to depths of 130 feet or less.
While nitrogen narcosis can occur in shallow water, the effects are much less noticeable there, and are generally not difficult to manage. Familiarize yourself with the way you normally feel while diving, and if you want to experience deep dives, become certified to use enriched gases so you won’t risk suffering from narcosis.
The Mechanics of Nitrogen Narcosis
Nitrogen narcosis is a complex chemical process that happens almost automatically, and that is surprisingly easy to reverse. Instead of boring you with a long, drawn out explanation of how the process works, we’re giving it to you in a nutshell:
When your body is exposed to pressure as you dive, nitrogen enters the bloodstream and starts to saturate the rest of the body’s cells, including brain cells. By 100 feet, the nitrogen penetrates far enough into the brain cells to get through their protective lipid (fat) layers, and begins to have a marked effect on the brain. The deeper you go, the more nitrogen is likely to affect your cognitive process, and unless you begin to ascend to reverse the process, you will remain in a confused state that can worsen if you go deeper. Some divers are so confused or enchanted by things they see while in a state of nitrogen narcosis that they continue on to deeper and deeper depths or lose control completely.
Nitrogen affects everyone differently, and the level to which an individual is affected typically varies depending on factors such as body size and body mass index, personality, and mood. If a diver has been smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, or doing other recreational drugs in the 24 hours prior to nitrogen narcosis, effects can be much worse, and though the potential for frightening side effects always exists, it is greatly increased by the presence of intoxicating substances in the bloodstream.
Nitrogen narcosis can have an adverse effect on your ability to make sound judgments, monitor your gauges, keep an eye on your buddy, and do all the things you need to do to stay safe while diving. It can also have an adverse effect on your ability to perceive various factors, and it can even cause hallucinations that can lead to serious problems.
There are several factors that can increase the potential that you will suffer from nitrogen narcosis. These include:
- Stress
- Expending excess effort while diving
- Fatigue from sickness, lack of sleep, or other factors
- Carbon dioxide retention
- Cold
- Anxiety
- Prior consumption of drugs or alcohol
Signs and Symptoms of Nitrogen Narcosis
At its gentlest, nitrogen narcosis provides feelings of pleasant tranquility, mastery of your environment, and an overall release of anxiety. As it worsens, the following symptoms may occur:
- Loss of decision making ability
- Loss of focus
- Impaired judgment
- Impaired ability to multi-task
- Loss of coordination
- Reduced ability to reason
- Impaired memory
- Hallucinations
Finally, at 300 feet and deeper, nitrogen narcosis can lead to death. At depths shallower than 300 feet, divers experiencing nitrogen narcosis lose the ability to maintain buoyancy control, breathe steadily, follow instructions, or relay emergency signals. Divers who are rapidly descending due to hallucinations or loss of motor skills are not likely to remember to drop their weight belts, making effective rescue extremely difficult and endangering others. While some divers irresponsibly go out of their way to seek nitrogen narcosis experiences, there are safer ways to enjoy feelings of ecstasy, particularly when you recognize that when you’re scuba diving safely, you are witnessing sights and experiencing sensations that most people will never have the opportunity to enjoy firsthand.
While nitrogen narcosis can happen rapidly, it is also easy to recover from, particularly if you are able to notice changes that are occurring before they get out of control. By ascending slightly, you can reduce the effects of nitrogen overload, and by ascending a bit more, you can completely eliminate the scary feelings that narcosis can cause. Better yet, you prevent yourself from succumbing to one of the most dangerous risks scuba diving presents, and you also prevent anyone from risking their own life or health in an attempt to save you from what is normally a completely preventable accident. By paying close attention to the way you feel while diving, and by taking action to reverse narcosis, you can keep yourself safe and live to dive another day.